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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Centre to expand area under DSR rice to 40% by 2030, solution in the weeds
Even as India prepares for another bumper year of rice production in the 2025 kharif season, aided by a favourable monsoon and increased acreage, much of the planting will continue to be done in an ecologically-unfriendly process known as 'open puddling', which involves raising the seedlings in nurseries and then transplanting them in ankle-deep water. However, a small portion of the total area under paddy will continue to be under the direct seeded rice (DSR) method. DSR as a method of growing rice has been prevalent in India since decades but most of it is in a traditional, un-scientific manner. To change such practices, the Central government has now targeted raising the area under DSR from the current 12 mn/ha to 16 mn/ha by 2030 and thereafter to 24 million hectares by 2040. Currently, roughly 12 million hectares (mn/ha) of paddy is grown is through the DSR process, according to experts from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Icar). Of this, almost 10 mn/ha is through traditional means, and is largely concentrated in eastern and southern regions of the country, while only about 2 mn/ha is through scientific means. Considering that India grows rice in roughly 40 mn/ha of land in the kharif season alone - planting for which starts around June with the advent of the monsoon and is harvested by September onwards – the targeted area under DSR by 2030 is estimated to be around 40 per cent of the total area, and is expected to rise to 60 per cent by 2047. DSR acreage growth strategy Outlining the strategy to meet such ambitious numers, Icar's Director General Dr M L Jat said India currently cultivates about 47–48 mn/ha of rice, and there is a significant push to bring 16 mn/ha — over 30 per cent of the total rice area — under DSR, marking a transformative shift in rice farming. 'DSR offers multiple benefits, including substantial labour savings, as it eliminates the need for labour-intensive transplanting, which is becoming increasingly scarce and costly," Jat told Business Standard in a recent interview. "It also conserves 25–30 percent of water compared to puddled transplanted rice, making it a more sustainable option. Additionally, DSR results in lower methane emissions, aligning with climate goals and opening up potential for carbon credits. Unlike puddling, which creates an impervious soil layer and hampers root growth of subsequent crops like wheat, DSR maintains soil structure and enhances yields of follow-up crops,' he added. While approximately 12 mn/ha are already under DSR, much of this area relies on traditional methods with low productivity. Introducing scientific practices such as improved seed varieties, mechanised sowing, and effective weed control could significantly enhance productivity. Jat said regions like eastern India, hilly areas, and parts of the south already use DSR traditionally, providing a strong foundation for scaling up this approach. The argument against DSR However, the biggest bottleneck to expanding DSR method is crop susceptibility to pests and weed attacks. According to a study done by the Bengaluru-based Nudge Institute a few years back on the benefits and pitfalls of DSR, rice weed management has been the biggest challenge for the farmers in the adoption of the DSR method. The study found that a high percentage of farmers who had faced yield loss of DSR had suffered because of weeds. Since they are grown on dry land without the necessary safeguard of water, farmers complain that paddy plants grown using DSR method are more susceptible to weeds. DSR method and herbicide tolerance To counter the yield loss issue, scientists around the world have developed rice varieties and seeds that are tolerant to herbicides (HT). The most common among these are ones that are resistant to the widely-used broad-spectrum herbicide 'imazethapyr'. Imazethypr is difficult to use on normal paddy as it does not distinguish between paddy plants and weeds and can damage the mother plant as well. A white paper by the Federation of Seed Industries of India (FSII) in association with Sathguru Consultants released sometime back said that even high-yielding rice varieties that are bred for puddled system show a 10-30 percent reduction in yield when grown under the DSR method, despite all supporting practices in place, underscoring the need for new varieties of paddy that are tailor-made for the DSR method. However, critics and civil society activists say that promotion of HT rice under the garb of expanding the acceptance of DSR is a ploy of big companies to promote harmful plant chemicals in the name of saving the climate. They argue that weeds can be easily managed by adopting environment-friendly methods such as advancing the date of paddy planting rather than using plant chemicals. Their other argument is that pushing HT rice under the cover of DSR will lead to mono-cropping and seeds insecurity. A few months earlier, a group of scientists and civil society activists wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav alleging that the environmental, health and economic issues related to HT crops have been articulated in India and abroad, and that most countries do not allow them, irrespective of whether they have been bred using genetic engineering or not. Moreover, they highlighted the increased levels of chemical residue in the final consumer product, as well as the exposure to toxins and its health impact on farmers and farm workers. The letter also posited that farm-level sovereignty is eroded when combination products of seeds and chemicals are controlled by private corporations, besides increased costs for farmers. The letter argued that while DSR has several advantages, its experience in Punjab and Haryana has thrown up several practical challenges for farmers. "It is not a universal solution for all types of soils, whether it is related to the textures of soil or nutrient availability, experience shows," these persons wrote. The letter also said the herbicide Imazethapyr is in the list of 'bannable' pesticides against which a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court of India. The PIL lists 110 pesticides that have been banned in two or more countries elsewhere but continue to be used in India. Currently, Imazethapyr has not been approved in 27 countries of the EU and the UK, and is banned in Turkey). Countering this line of argument, Icar's Jat said that it's a misinterpretation that authorities are focusing on DSR to push HT rice. On the contrary, he said, associated technologies — especially weed management — must also evolve if DSR is to succeed. 'Yes, there are corporate interests in promoting herbicide-tolerant varieties, but farmers already use herbicides even in transplanted rice. The goal is not to increase herbicide use but to develop integrated weed management solutions that reduce environmental impact,' he told Business Standard. The reason why DSR did not become more widely adopted sooner, he said, was due to weed management challenges. For example, he noted, seed rates were high — 80 kg per hectare — causing problems like plant competition and sterility. "We've brought this down to 15 kg," he said. 'If you consider that, plus reduced water and labour needs, DSR can be a win-win. And yes, even with DSR, two herbicide sprays (pre- and post-emergence) are standard —similar to transplanted rice,' he added.
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Business Standard
13-05-2025
- General
- Business Standard
As Punjab and Haryana fret over water, two new orders are causing heartburn
Paddy sowing in two of India's largest producers of the crop - Punjab, and to some extent, Haryana - has been a cause for concern for quite some time now due to the over-exploitation of groundwater resources, impact on ecology, and effect that paddy stubble-burning has on air quality in neighbouring cities of Delhi-NCR. According to research from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Icar), each tonne of stubble burnt leads to a loss of no less than 12-13 kg of phosphorus, 35 kg of potassium and 20 kg of nitrogen in the soil. Paddy acreage in Punjab presently is around 3.25 million hectares (mn/ha) and about 1.65 mn/ha in neighbouring Haryana. The area under paddy in both the states has grown exponentially since the last few decades, particularly after the Green Revolution in the 1960s. Groundwater depletion on the rise According to a study by Icar's National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research groundwater levels in both states have fallen significantly over the past two decades. In Punjab it fell to 18.06m in 2018-19 from 12.10 meters in 2009-10 and 9.25m in 2000-01. Similarly, in Haryana, it fell to 17.31m in 2018-19 from 12.9m in 2009-10 and 9.06m in 2000-01. The data points to the reason. Between 1970-71 to 2020-21, groundwater irrigation in Punjab has risen from 55 per cent of its gross cropped area to 72 per cent, while the area under canal irrigation has dropped from 45 per cent to 28 per cent. Similarly, groundwater irrigation in Haryana has risen from 37 per cent of gross cropped area to 65 per cent while canal irrigation has fallen from 62 per cent to 35 per cent. Current level of groundwater development is estimated at 164 per cent for Punjab and at 134 per cent for Haryana. Moreover, rainfall is scarce in both states: 534 mm in Punjab and 687 mm in Haryana. Punjab and Haryana have been trying multiple methods to check this erosion in groundwater due to paddy farming with limited, and sometimes zero, success. But all their measures have done little to deter farmers from growing paddy in a big way, which is ironic given that both states have traditionally never been large paddy growing regions. A large basket of subsidies, starting with free power, free irrigation, cheap seeds, fertiliser and other agriculture inputs supported by a 100 per cent assured system of procurement at a fixed price has created an ecosystem where farmers find it unviable from shifting to any crop during the kharif season. For example, groundwater irrigation, which is on the rise, is done largely through deep tube wells which thrive on free power. How have state laws helped? In 2009, the governments of Punjab and Haryana in 2009 brought out almost identical Acts, mandating delay in paddy sowing towards onset of the monsoon in a bid to arrest falling groundwater levels. Called the 'Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009' (PPSWA)' and the 'Haryana Preservation of Subsoil Water Act 2009' (HPSWA), the non-compliance of the twin acts attracted penalties such as destruction of nursery or transplanted crop at the farmer's expense or disconnection of electricity supply, or cash payment, or all of these. The PPSWA prohibits raising a paddy nursery before May 10 and its transplantation not before June 10, with corresponding dates in the HPSWA set for May 15 and June 15. Some experts say that limited window between paddy harvest and wheat sowing leaves farmers with very little option other than to burn their stubble. One prime factor for the window between the two crops being short are the twin acts in Punjab and Haryana which prohibit sowing of paddy ahead of a designated time. Paddy sowing in 2025 This year, weeks ahead of the commencement of paddy sowing, the Punjab government passed two orders, ostensibly to conserve water and ensure that the state's natural resources are not over-exploited. The first order was on dividing the state into pockets and setting starting dates for cultivating paddy based on groundwater levels. The state government order said paddy cultivation in Faridkot, Bathinda, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts will start from June 1, while Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Tarn, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and Hoshiarpur districts can start on June 5. In the remaining districts of Ludhiana, Moga, Jalandhar, Mansa, Malerkotla, Sangrur, Patiala, Barnala, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Kapurthala, paddy cultivation will start on June 9. According to the state government, the phased sowing of paddy will also allow better management of power required for sowing and also deal with the problem of high moisture content in paddy sown later. In the other order, passed on April 7, the state government banned cultivation of hybrid rice varieties for the upcoming paddy transplantation season. The state government argued that some hybrid paddy varieties have been banned on concerns over groundwater depletion and allegations of poor milling recovery. Hybrid paddy as per some industry sources is cultivated in around 0.5-0.8 mn/ha of land in the state out of the total 3.25 mn/ha sown. Last year, several rice millers in Punjab faced off against the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and refused to lift paddy lying with farmers demanding easing of procurement norms from the corporation. The rice millers' primary demand was that the Out-of-turn Ratio (OTR) from paddy to rice as set by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at 67 per cent be reduced for Punjab as new hybrid paddy varieties such as PR–126 have been giving 4-5 per cent lesser OTR than usual. A lower OTR meant that millers were making a loss in milling FCI paddy into rice. They also wanted a per quintal reimbursement of the loss in milling of hybrid varieties such as PR-126. OTR norms are fixed by the Central government and are uniform across the country and are seed variety-agnostic. The Centre had a few years ago commissioned a study, to be conducted by IIT Kharagpur, to review the present OTR and 'driage' incidentals for paddy for which tests are currently being conducted in different rice-procuring states, including Punjab. 'Unless the result of that study comes, we cannot unilaterally lower the OTR norm for one state,' a senior government official had said then. This year, anticipating similar issues over hybrid seed yields, Punjab has gone a step ahead and banned sowing of hybrid paddy seeds altogether. This, in turn, has roiled the seed industry which has alleged that such a ban could dent farmers' income by as much as Rs 8000–10,000 per acre. 'Hybrid rice consistently delivers five to six quintals higher productivity per acre and also has better water efficiency. By blocking these seeds, the state is effectively writing off roughly one-month income of a small farmer's earnings,' said Ajai Rana, a noted seed expert who is chairman of the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), and chairman, CII North region agriculture committee. FSII also discounted the argument that hybrid paddy seeds gave lower OTR than mandated by FCI.
